Life Hacks

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#Life Hacks

Life is hard enough without being aware of these simple life hacks. Read on.

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>Dr Niall Smith, head of Research at Munster Technological University and head of MTU Blackrock Castle Observatory, and Caoimhe Lyons, a Mathematical Sciences and Physics graduate and science facilitator at MTU Blackrock Castle Observatory prepare for a once-in-a-generation deep partial solar eclipse on Wednesday. Picture: Darragh Kane</p>

advice

Life Hack: How to watch Wednesday’s solar eclipse — and why Munster will have the best view

Cork is Ireland’s best-positioned major city for the eclipse

<p>One of my favourite things to do for myself before leaving home for a while is to strip the bed and add fresh bedsheets for my return. Picture: iStock</p>

advice

Life Hack: Three household chores to do before you head on holiday

<p>Having a barbecue in dry weather? Make sure you do so safely to prevent fires</p>

advice

Life Hacks: How to ensure your barbecue doesn't spark a wildfire

Clean clothes hanging on washing line against sky. Drying laundry

advice

Life Hack: Two of my go-to laundry tips to make the most of this great drying weather

Bored blond woman with luggage, leaning elbow on bags, sit in waiting room at airport due to Covid travel restriction

advice

Life Hack: How to deal with travel fatigue — and how to tell it apart from jet lag

Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) with a caterpillar, Hertfordshire, England

advice

Life Hack: How to care for birds during the summer when we've been told to stop feeding them

Couple in a hot tub

Life Hack: Own a hot tub? Here’s how to keep it clean

For anyone who splurged on a hot tub for their home, it’s very important to maintain its hygiene and prevent potentially deadly diseases from thriving

Sun, 28 Jun, 2026

Girl helping mother cleaning dishes in the kitchen

Life Hack: How often should you wash your kitchen tea towel?

Are you accidentally spreading harmful bacteria all over your kitchen?

Mon, 22 Jun, 2026

Handmade wowen waffle linen cotton napkins and fabric

Life Hack: How to wash and care for your linen clothing

If you’re considering bringing some linen into your wardrobe this summer, here’s what you need to know about caring for it

Sat, 20 Jun, 2026

Baby and Mother Strapping in Carseat

Life Hack: What you need to know about car safety when driving with children

How to make sure your vehicle is as safe as possible for kids

Sat, 06 Jun, 2026

Warning sign for ticks along countryside path during tick season

Life Hack: How to remove a tick and what you need to know about Lyme disease

In Ireland, about 100 people will have a positive blood test for Lyme disease each year, writes Denise O'Donoghue

Mon, 01 Jun, 2026

Open empty suitcase on floor indoors, top view. Space for text

Life Hack: Holiday packing? How to get the most out of your suitcase lining

Denise O'Donoghue shares some handy tips for making the most of that inner suitcase lining

Sat, 23 May, 2026

Stack of clothes empty copy space.

Life Hack: What clothes are okay to hang up and what should never be folded?

The way you store some items can have an impact on their quality and longevity

Mon, 18 May, 2026

man touching a flat tire on the roadside

Life Hack: What to do if you have a punctured tyre and how to change it

There are a few things you should consider before attempting to change that tyre

Sat, 09 May, 2026

Jet washing or pressure washing patio, before and after cleaning

Life Hack: Three home and garden jobs to tackle now

From weeding to patio cleaning, here are the jobs to tackle now

Sat, 02 May, 2026

Young beauty woman checking her skin at mirror in the morning

Life Hack: How to self-check for signs of skin cancer

Don't think those grey clouds are protecting you. Denise O'Donoghue shares advice on what you need to know about sun cancer risks in Ireland

Sat, 25 Apr, 2026

Unrecognizable African Woman Dry Brushing Legs Making Massage In Bathroom

Life Hack: What is dry body brushing and am I doing it correctly?

Denise O'Donoghue shares expert tips on dry brushing and its benefits for skincare, lymphatic drainage, and more

Mon, 20 Apr, 2026

Closeup of a hand checking his Google apps, Gmail, Google Maps, Youtube

Life Hack: Embarrassed by your email? Now you can change it

A new tool from Google means Gmail users can now change their email address in a few clicks, says Denise O'Donoghue

Mon, 13 Apr, 2026

Little boy holds a bar of chocolate in his hand

Life Hack: How to remove chocolate stains from clothes, carpets, and couches

When we crack open the eggs at Easter, a chocolate catastrophe is never far away... Denise O'Donoghue has some quick-fix solutions

Mon, 06 Apr, 2026

Scam Alert Notification on Smartphone Screen During Incoming Call

Life Hack: How to protect yourself from a cyber attack

The recent attack on Stryker is a reminder of how important digital security is, including for our personal devices

Sat, 28 Mar, 2026

side view of smiling customer lying on orthopedic mattress in furniture store

Life Hack: How to choose the perfect mattress

The right combination of comfort, support and mattress design can help someone sleep more soundly and wake feeling better

Mon, 23 Mar, 2026

oman cleaning floor and carpet with cordless vacuum cleaner at home.

Life Hack: Does ‘slow vacuuming’ lead to cleaner carpets?

Plus a common mistake many people make when hoovering

Sat, 14 Mar, 2026

Woman drinking milk

Life Hack: Here’s why you shouldn't keep milk in your fridge door

Are you using all parts of your fridge correctly? I wasn't...

Mon, 09 Mar, 2026

Dishwashing

Life Hack: How to clean stainless steel sinks, pots, and cutlery

You're bound to have plenty of stainless steel items in the kitchen- here's how to keep them at their best.

Sat, 28 Feb, 2026

Unrecognizable latin man filling up a jar with wheat flour from a paper bag.

Life Hack: What are flour mites, are they dangerous, and how to prevent them?

If the very thought of flour mites makes you squirm, read on to find out what to do if you find them in your home

Mon, 23 Feb, 2026

An Unrecognizable Businesswoman Preparing A Package For Shipping

Life Hack: How to avoid scams on Vinted and what to do if you have any problems

Buying and selling on Vinted is getting more popular, but here's what to do if you think you've been sold a fake item or think a buyer is lying about your parcel going missing

Mon, 16 Feb, 2026

Young adult woman hand wiping stainless frying pan with dry white paper napkin on light blue table background. Closeup. Pastel c

Life Hack: How to clean a frying pan — and can I make it non-stick again before Pancake Tuesday?

As tempting as a pretty pancake pan may be, do you really need to buy a new one for the sake of one day?

Mon, 09 Feb, 2026

Food Safety - Cutting Carrots on Plastic Cutting Board with Food Gloves

Life Hack: What are microplastics and should I swap my plastic chopping board for wood?

Plus, tips on how to clean a wooden chopping board

Mon, 02 Feb, 2026

Sink faucet dripping with the water drop in focus

Life Hack: How to fix a dripping tap in your home — and why mending it could save you money

One Irish plumber estimates that a slowly-dripping tap can lose more than 180 litres of water a day, and if it's a hot tap then it could add hundreds of euro to your bill over the course of a year

Sat, 24 Jan, 2026

Plumber connecting copper water pipes.

Life Hack: How to prevent your pipes from freezing during a cold snap

Burst pipes can cause expensive damage and leave families vulnerable at one of the busiest times of the year for callouts and repairs

Mon, 19 Jan, 2026

Scheduling their next workout class

Life Hack: How to set up and use an online calendar for 2026

Keep on top of your hectic schedule with an online calendar — here's how to set one up that will actually work for you

Sat, 10 Jan, 2026

Unpacking the box of Christmas Tree

Life Hack: How to safely store away your Christmas decorations as holiday season ends

Keep delicate items safe and reduce your stress when decorating next Christmas

Mon, 05 Jan, 2026

Making espresso at home

Life Hack: How to deep clean three popular coffee machine brands

The cleaner your machine is, the better your coffee will taste

Sat, 27 Dec, 2025

Man packing full shopping bags into the car trunk

Life Hack: Doing the Christmas shop? Here’s how to pack your groceries

This will help avoid arguments at the tills

Mon, 22 Dec, 2025

Trampoline damaged due to wind in severe storm

Life Hack: How to prepare your home if there's a storm or weather warning

Here are some things to check off your list in the event of extreme weather

Mon, 15 Dec, 2025

Car driving through the puddle and splashing by water.

Life Hack: Is it ever safe to drive through a flood? Here's what you need to know

Tempted to drive through a 'shallow' flood? Think again

Tue, 09 Dec, 2025

Annual leave. Out of office. Taking a break from work

Life Hack: How to hack your annual leave in 2026 to take longer breaks from work

Including how to turn three days of annual leave into a 10-day stretch off work

Mon, 08 Dec, 2025

Photo of pretty girl shy cover face with transparent hood rainstorm protective garment over misty steam background

Life Hack: How to weather-proof your hair for the Christmas party season

Rainy nights are a recipe for disaster

Mon, 01 Dec, 2025

Caring Caucasian young woman packing toys and books for donation into cardboard box

Life Hack: Why you should declutter your home before Christmas — here's how to go about it

Reducing clutter can help to reduce stress and improve focus, mood, and sleep

Mon, 24 Nov, 2025

Woman scraping leftover food from plate into trash bin in kitchen

Life Hack: Four easy ways to reduce food waste and save hundreds of meals each year

If just 10 households reduced their food waste by 25%, it could save around 650 meals each year.

Mon, 17 Nov, 2025

Person putting jeans into the drum of a washing machine, front view. Washing dirty jeans in the washer

Life Hack: Tumble drying guidelines — and undoing a shrinkage disaster

A symbol you should certainly look out for on your clothes labels is a square box with a circle inside it and two lines crossing over it in an X shape. This means that under no circumstances should it ever be placed in a tumble dryer

Mon, 10 Nov, 2025

Children and dad making Jack-o-Lantern together at home, carving Halloween pumpkin

Life Hack: Everything you need to know about carving a pumpkin at Halloween

How to carve the perfect pumpkin and the common mistakes to avoid

Fri, 31 Oct, 2025

Halloween Kids Holidays Concept.

Life Hack: How to DIY some of this year's most popular Halloween costumes

Easy options for last-minute spooky looks

Mon, 27 Oct, 2025

Halloween survey

Life Hack: How to repurpose those Halloween pumpkins — feed them to the dog

It is actually considered a doggy ‘superfood’

Mon, 20 Oct, 2025

Woman showering behind fogged glass

Life Hack: Can cat litter help to reduce condensation in your bathroom this autumn?

Here are eight ways to prevent condensation in your bathroom.

Mon, 06 Oct, 2025

Great and Blue Tit Feeding

Life Hack: How to stop mice from eating bird food — and the foods to add to repel rodents

If you want to continue caring for birds but wish to prevent rodents from gathering for the leftovers, there are a few things you can do to deter them.

Mon, 29 Sep, 2025

Lunch box with snacks, bottle of juice and stationery on yellow table, flat lay

Life Hack: What is biohacking and can it help your child eat healthier at school?

Plus top afternoon snack superfoods to fuel children's brains and bodies

Mon, 22 Sep, 2025

Black Shower Head

Life Hack: How to clean a black shower and the cleaning mistakes that could damage it

Expert tips and simple swaps to keep your shower looking flawless

Mon, 15 Sep, 2025

Spider On A Picture Rail

Life Hack: Cruelty-free ways to keep spiders out of your home this autumn

Here are some of my go-to methods to keep my home spider-free in autumn and winter.

Mon, 08 Sep, 2025

Life Hack: Five things newly engaged couples should do, according to an expert

Life Hack: Five things newly engaged couples should do, according to an expert

About to plan a wedding? Here's what you need to prioritise first

Mon, 01 Sep, 2025